Question of the week

Published 7:00 pm, Saturday, November 20, 2004

Is it time for the Detroit Lions to bench Joey Harrington for another quarterback?

CHRIS STEVENS: Its not like the Lions have an up-and-coming Steve Young waiting on the bench.

Were talking about Mike McMahon and Rick Mirer.

Still, its painfully obvious that Joey Harrington is not getting the job done. In fairness to him, the running game is sub-par, the offensive line is mediocre and his best wideouts are on injured reserve or hobbled.

But the bottom line is this: Harrington is the quarterback and he does not make enough plays to help this team win.

His passes are routinely off the mark. He rarely comes up with a big completion on third down. He rarely scrambles for yardage when his protection breaks down.

In short, teams need not fear Joey Harrington.

I think its time for McMahon, whos much more athletic and a dangerous runner, to get a start to jump-start the Lions offense. At least with him, teams must respect his running ability.

CHRIS MARCHAND: No, no, no.

If you had told any Detroit fan at the beginning of the season that the Lions would be a game out of first place with seven weeks left, they would have been jumping for joy.

But thats exactly where the Lions are right now. Nows not the time to press the panic button and throw in Mike McMahon or Rick Mirer.

McMahon brings a little more excitement to the Lions offense with his ability to run. But the bottom line is hes usually not able to generate wins for the Lions. His record as a starter is 1-6.

Mirer isnt exactly the best option, either. It appears talent-wise, hes on the back side of his career.

I havent been all that impressed with Harrington since he joined the Lions in 2002. But hes had no running game, an average offensive line and receivers that just cant seem to stay healthy. I think just a small portion of this is his fault.

The Lions play at struggling Minnesota this Sunday. A win and the Lions are right in the middle of the NFC playoff race. Youve gone this far with Harrington, so stick with him.

FRED KELLY: Of course not!

Who are they going to replace him with? Mike McMahon? Rick Mirer? The Lions dont exactly have a lot of options.

Besides, you cant lay all of the blame for Detroits offensive struggles solely at Harringtons feet. Sure, he is occasionally erratic, but what quarterback isnt? And you have to consider that Harrington gets no help from the running game, his best receivers are constantly injured, his other receivers run the wrong routes and/or drop passes at least a few times each game, and he is constantly having to play catch-up after the Lions have fallen behind.

Not exactly a formula for success if youre an NFL quarterback.

Also, you must stop and consider that Harringtons numbers are actually pretty good. His QB rating of 81.2 is better than Michael Vicks, Jake Delhommes, Jeff Garcias, Drew Bledsoes, Steve McNairs, Matt Hasselbecks, and five others. Harrington has also passed for more yards (1,684) than Vick, Garcia, Ben Roethlisberger, Chad Pennington, and seven others; and his touchdown/interception ratio is better than two-to-one (13/6).

The Lions need to give Harrington a running game and, ultimately, a fair chance to succeed.

DAN CHALK: Yes, bench Harrington in favor of Mike McMahon. Harrington is in a slump and is hurting the team.

The Lions offense has scored 13 points in the last two games, and theyve lost three in a row. Theyre a train headed downhill without any brakes. Before they crash and burn, lets change the conductor.

I know McMahon hasnt been successful in the past. But I still think hes the teams best option right now. The Lions dont have much of a passing game or a running game. McMahon at least gives them an extra threat as a runner, and hopefully hell be consistent as a passer.

Now Playing:

The Lions should start McMahon for the rest of the season, then draft a quarterback in the first round in April.